Once Upon A Time
by Cable Addict
Summary: Written for the 'It was a dark and stormy night...' challenge on LiveJournal. A storm sends the Spencer family to the basement. How will Shawn get his daughter to sleep?


**Author: cable_addict  
Title: Once Upon A Time  
Challenge: 'It was a dark and stormy night...'  
Word Count: 1,010  
Rating: G  
Pairing: Shawn/Juliet  
Warnings: Family fluffiness.**

--

A clap of thunder sounded and in a matter of seconds, Mikayla Spencer flew into her father's arms.

"Mikki, hey." Shawn whispered as he stroked her daughter's hair and the six-year-old whimpered.

"Shawn!" Juliet called and she appeared in her daughter's bedroom doorway holding three-month-old Hailey, who was now wide awake and fussing. Shawn looked up. "The weather station is saying that this is the worst storm to hit Santa Barbara in years and that we should all take cover." Shawn nodded and hoisted Mikayla up onto his hip.

A few minutes later, the Spencer family was in the basement, under the stairs.

"Daddy I'm scared." Mikayla cried and Shawn pulled her into his lap.

"I know Mik." He glanced up at his wife who was trying to get a wailing Hailey back to sleep. Shawn ran a hand over his face, his brain racing for something, anything, to do to distract his little girl. "How about a story?"

Mikayla sniffed and nodded slightly. "But we don't have any books."

"Don't worry Kay, Daddy'll think of something." Juliet reassured the little girl as Hailey continued to fuss.

"Yeah he will!" Shawn said as he put Mikayla on the floor next to him and jumped up. "Here, let me try." He offered to Juliet and was gently handed his younger daughter. Juliet sat down on the floor next to Mikayla and looked up at her husband curiously. "What story do you want Mik?"

Mikayla shrugged. "I dunno." She pushed a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear and Shawn sighed.

"Have you heard about the time Mommy told Daddy that she was pregnant with you?" Juliet asked and smiled when Mikayla shook her head.

Shawn smiled and began the tale.

_It'd been three months since her and Shawn's honeymoon and Juliet Spencer was now staring down at the plastic stick in her hand, her mouth open slightly in shock. She'd been feeling 'off' lately and after a hunch, decided to take a simple pregnancy test. She'd expected it, sure, but the shock was still real and genuine. It was too soon. Sure, she and Shawn had talked about starting a family, but she wasn't sure if three months after the honeymoon was the time to start. She shook the test, hoping that it would change the result, but the pink plus remained. She sighed in frustration and threw the offending object against her bathroom wall._

_Juliet's attention on her latest case file was torn when a cup of coffee was set down in front of her. She smiled as she felt lips against her forehead._

"_Have I told you today that I love you?" He murmured against her forehead._

"_No, I don't think that you have."_

"_I love you." She felt the lips whisper into her ear._

"_For god's sakes Spencer, It's bad enough that you married O'Hara but do you have to be so…so…" He struggled as he tried to find the right word._

"_Loving?" Shawn offered. "Sweet? Sexy?" Juliet rolled her eyes and turned around to face her husband. "Is it a crime that I love my wife?!" He shouted and several other detectives stared._

_Juliet blushed and put a hand over his mouth. "No, it isn't, but if you want me to love you back, you need to…"_

"_Shut up." Lassiter supplied from his desk. This comment got him glares from both Spencer's and he scowled._

_Juliet turned her attention back to her desk but the cup of coffee caught her eyes. She stared longingly at it for a minute before reluctantly turning back to her paperwork. This difference of behavior, however, did not go unnoticed by Shawn._

"_Whoa, wait a minute." He raised his eyebrows."You never turn down coffee." He studied his wife for a moment before pursing his lips in thought. "Are you feeling ok?" He put a hand to her forehead but she quickly turned her head, causing his hand to fall._

"_I'm fine. I'm just…not…thirsty." Juliet lied and Shawn grinned._

"_You're lying. I can always tell when you lie Jules." He smirked and Juliet scowled._

"_Thanks for the coffee Shawn, but can you please leave so I can get back to work?"_

_Shawn looked a little hurt but nodded and left the station._

"_Shawn? I'm home!" She felt bad for snapping at him earlier and was dreading the conversation that was surely to come._

"_I'm in the kitchen!" Juliet set her bag down on the couch and wandered into the small kitchen. "I felt bad about earlier so I'm making your favorite." She peaked over his shoulder and smiled._

"_Shawn," She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you. I've just been so tired lately."_

"_Well maybe you wouldn't be if you drank your coffee." He joked and her face fell. "What's wrong?"_

_Juliet didn't say anything. Instead she left the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with her hands behind her back. She took a deep breath and attempted to speak, but nothing came out._

"_Jules, you're scaring me." Shawn laughed nervously._

_Juliet glanced nervously down at her feet, took a deep breath and brought her hands out from behind her._

"_What's this?" Shawn asked as he eyed the pregnancy test. Juliet held it up so that he could easily see what it was. "Jules?" Shawn asked, the corners of his mouth starting to twitch up._

"_I'm sure." Juliet said, answering the question that Shawn was asking._

_Shawn's face was neutral for a moment before bursting into one of his classic goofy grin._

The storm eventually passed, but the Spencer family wasn't aware. With Hailey in her playpen, Shawn, Juliet and Mikayla were all curled up together asleep under the stairs. In the light from the lantern on the floor next to them, Shawn and Juliet's wedding bands sparkled in the dark.


End file.
